Humanity
by ForestSprite
Summary: Rhys is there for Gwen when she comes home dispirited and broken following the Cyberwoman events and will do what is needed to bring her spirits up because he loves her.


Title: Humanity

Rating: K+

Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Tragedy,

Warning: Cyberwoman-ish spoilers

Word Count: 782

Summary: Gwen goes home to Rhys after the Cyberwoman events. Her man is there to bring her up when she's down because he loves her.

"You okay sweetheart?" Rhys asked as Gwen came into their shared flat, taking in her shocked expression and eyes wide with grief.

"I-I, no. Something at work," she muttered barely comprehensible.

"Can you tell me anything about it?" he asked as he moved towards her to pull her into a gentle hug, trying to be understanding. His heart broke a little at the way she just fell limply against him like all the fight had gone out of her.

"One of the guys at work. He—he…" she trailed off on a choked sob.

He rubbed a gentle hand on her back. "Which one?" he prompted in a soft voice. "The doctor? Your boss?"

"No, it was Ianto," she replied in a way that suggested true shock.

He frowned thoughtfully, not that she could see. "You've never mentioned him before," he commented after a moment more of silence when she still hadn't said anything else.

He was surprised at the way she stiffened in his arms. "Never?" she asked in a way that bordered on true horror. "I've never talked about him?" she asked for confirmation as she pushed back to look up at him, tears streaming from her eyes, smudging her mascara and giving her raccoon eyes.

"Pretty sure. You've always talked about the doctor bloke, the techy, and the over the top boss but never him. What does he do?" He was completely bewildered by her reaction.

"Everything," she sobbed collapsing against him as she cried hard. "Everything and we all overlooked him. How can a person who does so much still not be seen?"

Well fuck, but he felt his heart shatter even more. "What happened?"

"His girlfriend, she was so sick, he was doing everything he could for her that he could and he hid her away so he could try and cure her but she just— she snapped. God, she almost killed everyone and we—we," her body was wracked with sobs. "We had to kill her."

"Shit!" he exclaimed. He still felt bad for her and this poor bloke who was evidently going through his own private hell unnoticed and unappreciated but what kind of load had she taken on? There was a small niggle of fear that he had to push back for now to help her through this current devastation. Later. Later they could sit down and talk about that. Now she needed his support. "That must have been hard on you love," he murmured.

She laughed a bit hysterically.

It surprised him. It sent a tingle of fear down his back. It was unnatural.

She said something that he couldn't quite make out and when he prodded her to repeat it she took several calming breaths, sniffling a bit before speaking again. "Jack told me when he hired me that he wanted my humanity. The fact that I cared so much but it's all a lie. As soon as I joined up with them I noticed they all ignored Ianto and I fell right in step. I did nothing to change it and did as everyone else did. How is that for humanity?" She howled brokenly, head tilted up to look at the ceiling, to no one in particular, or maybe her broken colleague. Rhys wasn't really sure. "I'm a horrible person," she whispered as her head sagged down and onto his chest again.

Finally. Something he was sure about. "No, you're not. A bit misguided. Stubborn. Willful. A right pain in my arse," he got a watery chuckle for that. He hugged her tightly to his body. "You are most certainly not a horrible person though. I can promise you that."

She looked up at him through her messy fringe. "You mean that?"

"Yeah," he said leaning a bit to give her a loving kiss on the forehead. "I mean it."

"You're too good to me," she murmured as her eyes closed in soft pleasure. Rhys could see the day's events were finally getting to her and she'd be crashing pretty soon.

"You bet I am."

She slugged his shoulder half-heartedly.

He smiled. That was his girl.

"How 'bout I run a bath for you and we can cuddle on the couch. Fall asleep to a movie?" he offered.

She nodded sleepily, a big yawn breaking from her control.

God but he loved this woman. Such a tiny thing she was but so amazing.

"Come on. Things will look better in the morning," he said as he tugged her to the bedroom.

Yeah, they still had some things they needed to work out, but he loved her. That's all he needed right at this moment. Everything else would fall into place afterward.


End file.
